Blog-Learning Reflection Module 2: junio 2024

lunes, 17 de junio de 2024

Introduction

The module 2 reflection of the Specialization Course ''Artificial Intelligence Applied to Education'' continues with the different evaluations that the academic program requires. The module 2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO ENHANCE STUDENTS' ENGLISH SKILLS is divided into four units, and the topics are,

AI in ELT:

+ Brief overview of AI applied to English language teaching

+ Creation of authentic materials for English teaching using AI

+ Online discussion

AI for Receptive Language Skills:

+ Read Theory

+ Reading Coach

+ Reading Progress

+ ZenoChat

+ Online Discussion

+ Quiz1

AI for Productive Language Skills:

+ Reading Progress (pronunciation)

+ Elsa Speak

+ Grammarly

+ ChatGPT

+ Other tools

+ Online discussion

+ Quiz 2

Creating Bots as Learning Assistants:

+ Poe

+ Cody

+ Claude

+ Creation of a bot as a learning assistant for English grammar, pronunciation, English language pedagogy and other subjects

+ Public presentation of the bot

+ Blog Learning reflection

Key Concepts Reflection I

The following concepts and understanding that I got from module 2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO ENHANCE STUDENTS' ENGLISH SKILLS updated my knowledge about the vast world of AI and gave me more tools that we can use in the educational field.

Key concepts and AI tools like:

A summary of ''IA in education 2024''

A Short History of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence dates back to the 70s from the visionary aspirations of the founding fathers of artificial intelligence to imitate the flexibility and generality that characterize the mind of Homo Sapiens. The term "artificial intelligence" was coined in 1956 during a lecture at the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Alan Turing, a mathematician, argued that a machine would be able to display the characteristics of human thinking. Early approaches seeking to imitate various intellectual skills emerged systems capable of demonstrating skills such as testing mathematical theorems or defeating a nova opponent in the game of ladies. The second big wave would emerge in the late 80s and 90s, driven by a better understanding of the massively parallel and distributed functioning of biological neural networks. The capacity of the machines for deep reasoning still seemed very far away.

Definition of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the layer of machines and computer systems to perform tasks that require human intelligence.
These tasks include learning, reasoning, decision-making, understanding of natural language and visual perception, among others. AI is based on algorithms and mathematical models that allow machines to process large amounts of data and extract useful patterns and knowledge.
An example of AI is voice recognition used in virtual assistants such as Apple's Siri or Amazon's Alexa. These assistants are able to understand natural language and respond to voice commands, thanks to natural language processing algorithms and neural networks.

What is and how did Generative AI arise and what are the “prompts”?

Generative AI is a branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on creating original and creative content. This approach is based on the ability of machines to generate new content that can be perceived as human, such as music, art, text or answers to questions. The emergence of Generative AI is due to advances in the field of deep learning, which has enabled deep neural network models to be trained capable of learning complex patterns in extensive data sets. These models can capture the essential features of a data set and use that knowledge to generate new and original content. One of the most well-known in Generative AI is the GPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) model, which is trained in large quantities of text to learn the structure and style of human language. Generative AI models, such as GPT, have demonstrated their ability to generate coherent and relevant content from "prompts" and have had applications in various areas, including education.

IA Classification (by Capacity)

There are different types of artificial intelligence (AI) that are classified according to their abilities and characteristics. The following are the main types of AI:

Weak AI, also known as narrow or specific AI, refers to systems designed for specific and limited tasks. It focuses on being an expert in a particular domain, such as voice recognition or medical diagnosis. It relies on machine learning techniques to improve your performance in a specific task. Although it has limitations in generalization and adaptation, it is useful in fields such as health care and cybersecurity.
On the other hand, General AI seeks to match or surpass human intelligence in several cognitive tasks. It seeks to understand, learn, reason, and solve problems in a way similar to that of humans, including image and language recognition, complex decision-making, and creativity. It has not yet been fully achieved and requires sophisticated algorithms and a deep understanding of human intelligence.

Both forms of AI have the potential to revolutionize different aspects of life, but also pose ethical and security challenges. Experts are working on the responsible development of general AI, considering ethical aspects, transparency, equity, and security.

Artificial intelligence can be classified according to its functionality in three levels. The first is Reactive AI, which is based solely on information present at the time without long-term memory or learning capacity. An example of this is Deep Blue, a chess system developed by IBM that defeated world champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. On the other hand, Artificial Superintelligence (AI) is a theoretical concept that describes an AI capable of surpassing human intelligence in all respects. While ASI is seen as a significant milestone for humanity, it also raises challenges and concerns about its impact on society and ethics.

Finally, Limited AI represents a more advanced level where systems can learn from experience and adapt to new situations within a limited range of tasks. An example of this is Apple’s Siri, a virtual assistant capable of answering questions and performing actions in different areas, but whose knowledge is restricted to the area in which it was programmed. Although these systems may seem intelligent in their area of expertise, they lack consciousness or understanding beyond what they have been taught. AI, in its various forms, is constantly evolving and represents a topic of interest and debate in the scientific and technological community due to its potential impact on society and ethics.

Neural Networks
Neural networks are a class of computational models that are inspired by the function-
and have proven to be powerful tools in the field of Artificial Intelligence. These networks are made up of interconnected nodes called artificial neurons or processing units, which work together to process and analyze data in a parallel and distributed way.

The Role of AI in Education

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a revolutionary technology that is transforming many aspects of our lives, including the educational sphere. In the educational context, AI refers to the ability of machines and computer systems to perform tasks that require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and decision-making.
AI has the potential to have a significant impact on education, both in the teaching and learning process. Some of the ways that AI can be applied to education include:

• Personalization of learning: AI can adapt learning materials and activities according to the individual needs of each student. Through data analysis and the use of machine learning algorithms, AI systems can identify the strengths and weaknesses of each student and provide custom recommendations and resources to optimize their learning.

• Automated feedback: AI can provide immediate feedback to students about their progress and performance. AI systems can trace answers, correct errors, and provide detailed explanations, allowing students to receive constant feedback and improve their understanding of concepts.

•Virtual assistants and chatbots: AI-based virtual assistants can act as support for teachers and students in the classroom. They can answer questions, provide additional information, offer individualized tutoring and guide students in their learning process.

•Educational Data Analysis: AI can analyze large amounts of data generated in the educational environment, such as evaluation results, participation records, and student demographic data. This enables educators to gain valuable insights into learning patterns, identify problematic areas and make informed decisions to improve teaching and the design of educational programmes.

AI has the potential to enhance the educational experience by personalizing learning, providing accurate feedback, and providing additional assistance to teachers and students. However, it is important to address carefully the challenges and ethical considerations associated with its implementation. AI is changing the way we teach and learn, and it is crucial to understand and harness its potential to improve education in the twenty-first century.

Key Concepts Reflection II

What are authentic materials?

One description of authentic materials says that their purpose is to communicate meaning and information and that they are produced for real communication rather than to teach language (Thomas, 2014). Authentic materials for the English language classroom are often free and very easy to find online or perhaps in certain locations in your communities. Here are some examples:

TV shows, news segments, documentaries, movie clips and trailers, online videos, and commercials

Radio broadcasts, songs, and podcasts

Photographs, artwork, signs, postcards, maps, and advertisements

Magazines, letters and emails, news articles, brochures, websites, blogs, and social media posts

Recipes, food labels, bus and train schedules, menus, price tags, and product descriptions

Diffit

Diffit is an AI-powered tool that helps teachers to create differentiated activities in the classroom. It allows the teachers to convert any content to any reading level easily.

Benefits

Adapt any text or article for any reading level

Generates relevant resources for any topic and video

Provides references to the resources

Provides summary, vocabulary words, multiple-choice questions, open-ended prompts, and more

Limitations

Users suggest checking for readability and accuracy

Hugging Face Comic Factory

The AI Comic Factory is an online AI Comic Book Generator platform that allows you to generate your own comic book with the help of Hugging Face Space.

Suno

An advanced artificial intelligence platform specialized in music generation and text-to-music conversion

Notta

Notta will record and transcribe your favorite podcast, radio, voice memo, Discord chat, interview, and online class in real time.

Read Along

Read Along is a free reading app for Android that helps children have fun while they learn to read.

Reading Coach

Reading Coach is a practice tool for anyone looking to build their literacy skills.

Read Theory

Read Theory is an online reading comprehension tool designed to help students improve their reading comprehension skills in a fun way that keeps them attentive and motivated.

Ted Talk

TED Talks are influential videos from expert speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity, with subtitles in 100+ languages.

Brisk

Brisk is a free AI-powered Chrome extension that helps busy teachers save time directly within the tools they already use, like Google Docs, Slides, YouTube, etc.

HSMP3.COM

It transforms free text into mp3.

My awesome project

It brings script and audio.

Hey Gen

HeyGen is an innovative video platform that harnesses the power of generative AI to streamline your video creation process.

Grammarly

Grammarly makes AI writing convenient. Work smarter with personalized AI guidance and text generation on any app or website.

TalkpalAI

Talkpal is an AI-powered language tutor. It's the most efficient way to learn a language.

Elsa Speak

Improve your English speaking skills. Pronounce English like an American through real-world conversations.

Magic School

The platform is fully trained for the educational sector, in which you can personalize the learning of your students, adapting materials and exercises according to the needs of your students. You can also create instant feedback, create rubrics, PBL designs or learning situations, and dozens of other options.

Poe

Poe AI is an AI-powered chatbot platform developed by Quora that allows users to ask questions and receive instant answers, as well as engage in interactive conversations with AI.

Cody

Cody is a free, open-source AI coding assistant that can write and fix code, provide AI-generated autocomplete, and answer your coding questions.

Conclusion and Key learning

Considering the learning I have acquired in the specialization course throughout the year, the knowledge gained in module 2 ''ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO ENHANCE STUDENTS' ENGLISH SKILLS'' will influence my English teaching with more creativity and confidence to take advantage of all the AI resources that I can use to put into practice with my pupils. To improve the four macro skills of my students (reading, listening, speaking, and writing), I will definitely use the varied AI tools, apps, and websites that I have learned in this module. For example, I will employ Elsa Speak with my Basic English students to improve their fluency and speaking skills. Also, I will use Brisk to save time and make a reading and comprehension exam based on a Ted Talk podcast; I consider that this is astonishing because I love podcasts, and I consider that it will catch my students' attention.

Additionally, the Bot activity gave me an idea about the implementation of AI in our business, class, or entrepreneurship. This is really helpful for our customers, students, or people interested in our job to receive feedback, assistance, or help with an inquiry related to our brand; indeed, I enjoyed personalizing the Bot with data related to the subject of Readings and Conversation II because the information will help the students with assistance to study for any exam that they might have.

Finally, I will continue using AI with in my teaching practice and life activities because I want to share my new knowledge with my students and friends, and I hope that module 3 will be better and fruitful.